Patient and Disability Rights in the Health Care Setting

Patient and Disability Rights

Have you or a relative been to a doctor’s office and been refused help in filling out paper work? Have you received paperwork from a health care provider that you or your loved one could not read?

Do you know your rights as a consumer with a visual disability? Patient’s rights cover such topics as access to care, patient dignity, confidentiality, and consent to treatment. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protect your rights and guarantee you equal access to health care services.

It is your responsibility to assert your rights under these laws. If you don’t ask for an accommodation no one will be aware that you need large print, Braille, or an electronic version of information.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

ADA Title III: Public Accommodations

Title III covers businesses and nonprofit service providers that are used by the public. These include hospitals, urgent care centers, doctor’s offices, nursing homes and home health agencies.

Health care services must provide equal treatment in the way they serve patients with disabilities. This means removing barriers in existing buildings.

Patients with visual disabilities have the right to have any written materials either read to them or given to them in an alternate format such as large print, Braille or on tape. This includes assistance with filling out paper work, having hospital admission booklets, home health agency information, doctor’s orders, and discharge plans available in a format that is accessible to the patient.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

This law has similar protections for patients with disabilities. This law applies to federal, state and local government and to any non-profit organization or health care provider that receives federal funds such as Medicare and Medicaid.

You should file your complaint as soon as possible. In some instances, depending on the applicable law, you may have a limited amount of time to file a complaint after the alleged incident of discrimination

To file a complaint under these laws, make note of the date, time and location of the discriminatory act, the name of the person spoken to and his or her response upon requesting a reasonable accommodation.

Visit US Department of Justice website for more information on a person’s rights under these laws or call 1-800-514-0301.